Zellik, 27 November 2025 - Today, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele officially inaugurated the new Flemish Tier-1 supercomputer Sofia at the Nexus Datacenter in Zellik. For the first time, VUB will be responsible for managing the Flemish supercomputer for the next six years. Sofia will be used by researchers at Flemish universities and universities of applied sciences, knowledge institutions, and companies, and forms part of the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC). With its sustainable design and impressive computing power, the installation represents a significant new step forward for research and innovation in Flanders, as well as a milestone in the Flemish landscape of AI and HPC (High Performance Computing) systems.

Supercomputer?
A supercomputer is a cluster of computing power. The threshold a computer system must meet to be called a supercomputer is constantly shifting, as technology evolves very rapidly. To illustrate: the first supercomputer from the 1980s had the computing power of what we now find in a smartphone.
Because the technology develops so quickly, a new supercomputer must be purchased every few years. This is why the Flemish government has decided that its operation will be assigned to a Flemish university every six years. In the past, the universities of Ghent and Leuven have already managed it, and today the VUB takes over this responsibility after a new allocation.

Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele: “The impressive computing power of the Flemish supercomputer Sofia will provide a tremendous boost to researchers at our Flemish universities, knowledge institutions, and companies. With an investment of 8.6 million euros, we once again underline our ambition to position Flanders as a pioneer in innovation and sustainable high-tech development. By making strategic choices and investing in the ‘engine room of the future’, we are creating the right conditions for Flemish researchers to excel. In this way, we are working today on the solutions to tomorrow’s challenges. Flanders has everything it takes to rank among the world’s top regions in research and innovation.”

Sustainable innovation, powerful performance, and growth potential
The new supercomputer, developed by NEC, was selected for its exceptional energy efficiency. It delivers the highest computing power with the lowest energy consumption in the tender.
The current generation of supercomputers contains far more graphics processing units than before. These are crucial for applications such as AI, because they can perform a very large number of calculations simultaneously. The drawback of these processors is that they require much more cooling—so much so that simply supplying cool air and removing warm air, as is common in data centers, is no longer sufficient. The Nexus datacenter in Zellik was designed to be ready for the liquid cooling that the computer requires.
With a Power Usage Effectiveness of approximately 1.2, Nexus is currently one of the most efficient data centers in Belgium. In addition, Sofia is designed to allow for expansion in the coming years, enabling the system to continue growing alongside the needs of research.

An engine for science and industry
The possible applications are broad and touch upon numerous domains: training AI models; simulations of chemical reactions, physics and astrophysics; climate modelling and weather forecasting; simulations for aviation, maritime and automotive technology; and AI applications across all scientific disciplines.

Karin Voets, CIO of the VUB: “The supercomputer will be used to develop models that can lead to meaningful innovations. This can range from simulations of waterways and weather models to predict, for example, when another extreme rainfall event might occur, to creating AI models that can predict defects in steel cables in time. We have already seen examples of companies that, thanks to this technology, can run their simulations up to ten times faster.”
Zowel onderzoekers als bedrijven kunnen projecten indienen. De VUB streeft naar een bezettingsgraad van 80%, wat de impact en efficiëntie van de investering maximaliseert.

Sofia: a name symbolising wisdom and enlightenment
The new supercomputer was given the name Sofia, inspired by the Greek sophia, which means 'wisdom'.
At the VUB, knowledge is central. Wisdom illuminates the world, brings clarity, and opens doors to discovery and progress. This is precisely what Sofia embodies: a source of insight and innovation that enables researchers and students to dig deeper, understand faster, and push boundaries.
The name was chosen after a broad brainstorming process centred on the VUB’s values of enlightenment and open science, and it aligns with the symbolism of the sun in the university’s identity.

Jan Danckaert, rector of the VUB: “With great power comes great responsibility. And that also applies to our Flemish supercomputer. We chose a name that will remind us every day that enormous computing power must go hand in hand with great responsibility.”

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